ART TREASURES IN THE PALACIO REAL
Palacio Real Floorplan
1. Boabdil’s Dagger
This beautiful jewelled dagger in the Armoury belonged to the 15th-century Muslim ruler Muhammad XII, who was also known as Boabdil.
2. Vertumnus and Pomona Tapestries
These exquisite tapestries in the Gala Dining Room were made in Brussels by Willem de Pannemaker in the mid-16th century.
3. Porcelain
Among the royal porcelain are some fine examples of Sèvres and Meissen dinnerware.
4. Tapestries in the Hall of Columns
These 16th-century tapestries depict scenes from the lives of the Apostles.
Tapestry of St John, Hall of Columns
5. Goya Portraits
The quartet of portraits by Goya, depicting Carlos IV and his wife Maria Luisa, shows the queen as a Spanish maja (beauty).
6. Table of the Sphinxes
This 18th-century piece in the Hall of Columns has six bronze sphinxes as table supports.
7. Chronos Clock
Made for Carlos IV in 1799, this clock contains a marble sculpture of Chronos, representing time.
8. Stradivarius Violins
The priceless “Palace Quartet” (two violins, a viola and violoncello) was made in the 18th century by the world-famous luthier, Antonio Stradivari.
Violin made by Antonio Stradivari
9. Giaquinto’s Apollo
Corrado Giaquinto’s fresco on the ceiling of the Hall of Columns depicts Carlos III as the sun god Apollo, riding in his chariot across the heavens.
10. Grandeur and Power of the Spanish Monarchy
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s frescoes in the Throne Room are a tour de force. Marginal figures represent Spain’s overseas possessions.
Tiepolo’s frescoes, Throne Room
THE HABSBURGS AND THE BOURBONS
The Austrian house of Habsburg ruled Spain for nearly 200 years (1516–1700), beginning with Carlos I (Emperor Charles V) and his son Felipe II. By the time the first Bourbon king, Felipe V (grandson of Louis XIV of France), came to the throne, Spain was already in decline. Felipe was immediately challenged by the Habsburg Archduke Charles of Austria, causing the disastrous War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14) which led to Spain losing territories in Italy, Belgium, Sardinia, Luxembourg and Gibraltar. The presence of the Bourbons gave Napoleon an excuse to interfere in Spanish affairs, eventually imposing his brother as king. Although the Bourbons were restored (1814), more than a century of political turmoil followed. At this time the dynasty’s right to rule was continually challenged until the monarchy was abolished in 1931. After the death of dictator General Franco, in 1975, his nominated successor, the Bourbon King Juan Carlos I, presided over the restoration of democracy, until he abdicated in favour of his son Felipe VI in June 2014.
Carlos III, an admired and successful ruler
TOP 10 HABSBURG AND BOURBON RULERS
1. Carlos I (1516–56)
2. Felipe II (1556–98)
3. Felipe III (1598–1621)
4. Felipe V (1724–46)
5. Carlos III (1759–88)
6. Carlos IV (1788–1808)
7. Fernando VII (1813–33)
8. Isabel II (1833–68)
9. Alfonso XIII (1902–31)
10. Juan Carlos I (1975–2014)
The Battle of Turin, 1706, by Joseph Parrocel; a key point in the War of the Spanish Succession
